MBA英语阅读理解练习十二

The United States is said to have a mixed economy because privately owned businesses and government both play important roles. Indeed, some of the most enduring debates of American economic history focus on the relative roles of the public and private sectors.
The American free enterprise system emphasizes private ownership. Private businesses produce most goods and services, and almost two-thirds of the nation's total economic output goes to individuals for personal use (the remaining one-third is bought by government and business). The consumer role is so great, in fact, that the nation is sometimes characterized as having a “consumer economy.”
This emphasis on private ownership arises, in part, from American beliefs about personal freedom. From the time the nation was created, Americans have feared excessive government power, and they have sought to limit government's authority over individuals—including its role in the economic realm. In addition, Americans generally believe that an economy characterized by private ownership is likely to operate more efficiently than one with substantial government ownership.
When economic forces are unfettered, Americans believe, supply and demand determine the prices of goods and services. Prices, in turn, tell businesses what to produce; if people want more of a particular goods than the economy is producing, the price of the goods rises. That catches the attention of new or other companies that, sensing an opportunity to earn profits, start producing more of that goods. On the other hand, if people want less of the goods, prices fall and less competitive producers either go out of business or start producing different goods.
There are limits to free enterprise, however. Americans have always believed that some services are better performed by public rather than private enterprise. For instance, in the United States, government is primarily responsible for the administration of justice, education, the road system, and national defense.
In this mixed economy, individuals can help guide the economy not only through the choices they make as consumers but through the votes they cast for officials who shape economic policy. In recent years, consumers have voiced concerns about product safety, environmental threats posed by certain industrial practices, and potential health risks citizens may face; government has responded by creating agencies to protect consumer interests and promote the general public welfare.

1. In Line 1, Para. 4, the expression “economic forces are unfettered” means.
[A] prices are determined by consumers  [B] supply and demand are allowed to operate freely
[C] economic regulations are not enforced [D] the economy is growing

2. The last paragraph tells us that  .
[A] a mixed economy is guided by both individual citizens and the government
[B] the role of the government in a mixed economy is more important than that of the consumer
[C] individual Americans can influence the economy in multiple ways
[D] the government does not regard the concerns of individual citizens

3. According to the text, the U.S. is sometimes called a “consumer economy” because  .
[A] most goods and services are produced by consumers
[B] privately owned business plays a major role in the economy
[C] individual consumption plays a major role in the economy
[D] consumers' rights are very important in the U.S.

4. This text is mainly about  .
[A] how average Americans view their economic system
[B] the role of the government in the American economy
[C] how supply and demand determine prices in the American economy
[D] the roles of the public and private sectors in the American economy

5. From the first sentence of the third paragraph, we learn that  .
[A] American political beliefs have influenced its economic system
[B] Americans fear excessive governmental control of the economy
[C] private ownership is important because of American beliefs in personal freedom
[D] personal freedom is the basis for private ownership in the U.S.

答案：
     1.答案为[B]，属于词义推断题。回答本题的关键是确定unfettered的词义。根据第四段第一句内容：美国人相信一旦经济力量unfettered，供求关系就决定商品和服务的价格。由生活常识可知，只有经济力量放开时（即自由市场经济），商品和服务的价格才能由供求关系来决定。此外，下一段第一句话又指出：然而，自由企业也有局限。线索词however（然而）清楚地表明此句以及此段的内容与上段内容恰好相反，由此也可推知unfettered应该是“limits”的反义词，即“自由的、不受限制的”。这样，只有选项B的意思符合句意，其他选项都是理解错误的干扰项。
2.答案为[C]，属于主旨思想题。本题考查最后一段的主题思想。本段首句即是本段的主题句，后面的句子是具体的实例：在混合经济中，个人不仅可以通过自身作为消费者所做出的各种选择来指导经济走向，还可以通过投票选出经济政策的制订者来施加影响。由此可知，选项C的内容与此相符。其他选项A、B概括过头，D与本段最后一句的后半句意义相反。
3.答案为[C]，属于事实细节题。题干中的关键词consumer economy 出现在第二段最后一句，其中so that （如此……以至于……）表明了句间存在的因果关系：美国之所以具有“消费者经济”的特点是因为消费者起着很重要的作用。原文= 题干 + 选项C，其中进行了因果句式转换，原文中的great换成了选项C中的major。
4.答案为[D]，属于主旨思想题。本题考查全文的中心思想。一般来讲，了解段落的中心看它的首尾句，了解文章的主题只需重点阅读首尾段即可。本文开篇就点出了文章主题：美国私有企业和政府在经济中扮演着重要角色，因此美国经济是混合型的经济。下文是具体的展开、说明。由此可知，符合此意的只有选项D。选项A概括过头，超出了文章内容；B、C是文章中提到的部分细节，概括不够。
5.答案为[A]，属于信息推断题。本题考查第三段第一句话的内容：私有制受到重视的部分原因是美国人崇尚个人自由。其中arise from（起因于， 由...而产生）表明了前后之间的因果关系。由此可推知选项A的内容：美国人的政治信仰影响了其经济体制。选项B的内容部分正确，C、D 中important和 basis的使用歪曲了原文的意思。

参考译文
美国的经济结构是混合型的，据说这是因为私有企业和政府在经济中都扮演重要角色的缘故。的确，美国经济史上有些永恒的辩题主要讨论的就是公共部门和私有企业的作用。
美国的自由企业制度强调的是私有制。社会大多数商品和服务是由私有企业生产和提供的，全国经济总产出中大约三分之二流向个人消费者（其余的三分之一由政府和企业予以采购）。消费者的作用至关重要，有时“消费经济”甚至成为美国的一个特点。
美国人对个人自由的崇尚是私有制受到重视的渊源之一。从建国之日起，美国人就一直害怕政府的权力过大，一直试图限制政府对个人的管辖权，包括限制政府在经济领域的作用。此外，美国人大都认为私有制经济可能会比以公有制为主的经济运转效率更高。
美国人相信一旦经济力量摆脱羁绊，获得自由，供求关系就决定商品和服务的价格，而价格反过来又能告诉各企业生产哪种产品。如果针对某种商品的需求大于供给，该商品的价格就上升。价格的上升吸引了新成立的公司或其他公司的注意，这些公司感觉到有利可图，开始生产更多的同类商品。相反，如果供给大于需求，商品价格就会下降，缺乏竞争力的企业不是倒闭就是转而生产别的商品。
不过，自由企业也有局限。美国人总是认为某些行业由公共部门管理比私人企业管理要好。比如，美国政府主要负责司法、教育、公路系统、国防等方面的管理工作。
在混合型经济结构中，个人不仅可以通过身为消费者所做出的各种选择来指导经济走向，还可以通过投票选出经济政策的制订者来施加影响。近年来，消费者对产品安全、某些工业行为对环境造成的威胁、国民面临的潜在健康危险等问题深表忧虑；政府对此做出反应，成立机构，保护消费者权益，推动公共福利事业的发展。